Darkness of Enigma

Darkness of Enigma (DOE) was a secret General Resource military development program. Its main goal was to research the practical application of neutral networks and the development of next-generation fighter aircraft.[1] The ultimate product of DOE was the X-49 Night Raven.[2]

DOE was started in 2028.[3] In 2031, child prodigy Rena Hirose joined General Resource, and she was used as a test subject in DOE. The program showed success as, on July 21, 2032, Hirose made her first successful flight in the X-49.[4]

However, the upper management in General Resource disagreed with using Hirose,[2] especially since the X-49 could only be controlled by someone who had undergone artificial nerve surgery specifically for the aircraft.[5] As a result, General Resource dissolved the program and ended the X-49's development in 2033.[3] The entire X-49 development team was subsequently absorbed by Neucom Incorporated.[2]

Trivia

Darkness of Enigma was directly mentioned in Ace Combat Infinity as part of the development history of the X-49 Night Raven.

Due to its secrecy and innovation, Darkness of Enigma could be described as a skunkworks project. However, skunkworks projects are usually free of management constraints, whereas DOE was shut down specifically because of such constraints.